Scotland | Kinlochleven

Four hours north of Edinburgh we arrived, in the pitch black, to the foot of these hills. Kinlochleven was the place we pitched camp and settled down ready for the adventures the next day. It was a very wet and windy night, with Met office weather warnings issued for the whole weekend. Just what you want to hear the night before embarking on a 8 mile trek over heather clad mountains.

We woke up to what was expected, hammering rain and very strong winds. Setting off was the hardest part, it wasn't too long before all our technical gear was deluged to the point of saturation. Paths that we were following from the OS map had all turned into water run offs and we were trekking up hill, against the flow of water with boots loaded with water. Sounds like a nightmare? It was. It wasn't until we reached our first real elevation and caught the view back down along Kinlochlevan that our efforts felt worth it. The view was stunning. With the hundreds of shades of yellow and copper adorning the hill sides, it was a view worth stopping for. With a fresh burst of appreciation for the landscape around us, we put our heads down into the howling winds and ascended.

The evening drew in the darkest of nights we have seen in a long while. Parking up in the centre of Glen Coe, lights off, we descended into pitch black. Setting up the tripods and remotes took slightly longer than normal as we were fixated on the sky focusing in on the entire solar system. It was short lived due to a bank of clouds rolling in, but we managed to get a couple of shots before complete coverage. 

On our way back down to Edinburgh we stopped off at Rannoch Moor - what a contrast to just 2 miles North. The flattest, bleakest of all places, particularly with a 70 mph cross-wind and hammering rain. As we looked out over the moor, a trip for next year was hatched. Trekking over from east to west with tents, back packs and fly rods.